Blue Angels Make Unannounced Pit Stop In Tulsa

The U.S. Navy Blue Angels made a pit stop in Tulsa on Monday afternoon.

The eight F/A-18 Hornet jets were on their way from San Francisco to their home base at Pensacola, Florida. The Blue Angels were the main attraction at San Francisco's Fleet Week, a celebration of the city's naval heritage.

Their next appearance will be this coming weekend in Baltimore for the Maryland Fleet Week celebration.

The team uses six of the jets for its airshow demonstrations, planes one through four in the diamond formation and jets five and six as the "lead solo" and "opposing solo" jets. The diamond flies most airshow maneuvers together, with the two solo jets taking center stage while the diamond re-positions after each individual maneuver. All six jets then form up in the delta formation to finish each airshow together.

The Blue Angels use the two number seven jets, which are two-seaters, as spares and to fly members of the media and local celebrities in the lead-up to each airshow.

Dennis Michael and Brandyn Baker, who work for Legacy Jet Center, shot video and still photos of the jets as they arrived in Tulsa. 

"They made a pass and then landed two at a time," Dennis said. "Beautiful."

The jets arrived at about 2:45 p.m. and took off two hours later.

One of this year's Blue Angel pilots is from Sedan, Kansas. Lieutenant Andy Talbott flies the number four jet, also called the slot.

12/7/2015: Related Story: Four Navy Blue Angels Visit Bartlesville And Sedan, Kansas

Lt. Talbott and three of his fellow pilots landed in Bartlesville last December to speak to his alma mater, Sedan High School, where he graduated in 2002.